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Devices

Having won the war on smartphone bezels (kinda) the world's biggest phone maker is ready to move on to the next big thing: the bendable display. According to The Indian Express, the first consumer device with this technology has already been certified in South Korea; it's to be called the Galaxy X and will presumably be some sort of anniversary device for the brand.

Never mind that the original Galaxy was released in 2009, or that battery life is probably going to be terrible for that paper-thin display in the photo directly above. I think the idea is actually to make something that the user can fold and unfold like a newspaper, as demonstrated in this concept video:

Perhaps the battery will be spread out over the entire back of the sheet? No idea, really... We'll have to wait and see what Samsung is able to deliver next year. Best not to expect a headphone jack in this one, I think.

Way back in December of 2013 I bought a Google-branded inductive charger for my Nexus 4. The technology immediately won me over; there was no fast-charging technology to speak of at the time, and thus no drawbacks to dropping my phone on a charging mat beside my desktop computer. Having my phone always juiced up and ready to go was pretty great.

Around this time IKEA started selling a floor lamp with an inductive charging pad built-in, and at least one coffee shop near me had wireless charging embedded in its counters. As even the mighty Samsung got behind the nascent Qi charging standard, a future with less wires looked increasingly possible. People were even talking about inductive bowls that you could dump all of your electronics in to charge as you walked through the threshold of your home.

And then fast charging happened. Wireless charging never really went away, of course, but for me it became harder and harder to justify a slow wireless charge over a wired one that could get my phone battery to 100% in about an hour.

Cut to the present day, where the new iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X all support the Qi inductive charging standard. Again, inductive charging never went away, but with Apple supporting it I'd expect to see a lot more inductive chargers in coffee shops across North America. And soon.

The new iPhones also support fast charging, but only through additional accessories—namely, a USB-C to Lightning cable and separate 29 watt brick. I honestly think that wireless charging is going to end up being the bigger deal, whether you're an iPhone user or not. I'd even go so far as to predict that next year will see a renewed interest in Qi-compatible Android phones.

In the meantime, here's a question for iOS enthusiasts: which are you more excited about, wireless charging or fast wired charging?

October 4th will apparently be the date for the official unveiling of Google's second-generation Pixels, but thanks to DroidLife we've got an early look at colour options for both models—and their price tags, too!

Pixel 2

The Pixel 2 will be available with either 64 or 128 GB of storage, and will retail for $649 and $749 USD respectively. Google will offer financing plans for each—either $27.04 or $31.21 USD per month over 24 months.

Colours are as follows:

"Kinda Blue"

"Just Black"

"Clearly White"

Pixel 2 XL

Also sold with either 64 or 128 GB of storage, the larger Pixel 2 XL will set you back either $849 or $949 USD. Financing options are $35.38 and $39.54 USD per month for 24 months. There will be just two colour options for this one:

Black

White

I myself am not a Pixel guy; you can blame Google's entirely unnecessary vendor partition for that. But with timely software updates and what's likely to be one of the better Android cameras it's easy to see the Pixel's appeal.

LG just pulled back the curtain on its other 2017 flagship at IFA in Berlin. Android Police is already calling it the most refined phone that the company has ever built. Gone is the gimmicky second screen from the V20, but LG's unique dual-camera setup—standard and wide angle lenses instead of standard and telephoto—remains. This is also LG's first phone in a while with an OLED screen.

Make no mistake here: with the V30, LG has its crosshairs on the Galaxy S8. And by first accounts they appear to have done a pretty good job. Here's a quick rundown of notable specs:

As a Pebbler I'm supposed to hate Fitbit with a passion, despite the fact that they've mostly made good on their promise to keep Pebble servers up and running through the end of 2017. But I'm also a big fan of mobile tap-and-pay solutions, especially if they actually work in Canada. And it turns out that Fitbit's new Ionic smartwatch, made official yesterday, supports NFC-based payments from your wrist.

For some perspective on this, Apple Pay already enables wrist-based payments with an Apple Watch, and any Android Wear device with NFC should have the same functionality. The biggest hurdle for Fitbit Pay will inevitably be the ugliness of its first proper smartwatch—it's every bit as hideous as the leak we saw earlier this month.

Last October I wrote about the egregious outright price of the Pixel XL in Canada—over $1,100 CAD for the 128 GB model. Midway through 2017 it seems that $1,000 USD is fast becoming the norm for a stretched display over a flagship phone. And if you happen to live in Australia and are a fan of the Galaxy Note series Samsung is expecting you to pony up $1,500 AUD for the latest version of that device.

It's not just an Android problem, either... Apple is expected to début its 10th anniversary iPhone with a price tag in excess of $1,000 USD and, according to at least one survey, prospective buyers seem fine with that.

I suppose an argument can be made that smartphone OEMs are merely passing on the R&D costs that make this product cycle's record-breaking screen-to-body ratios possible. But consider also that these same phones are in some ways downgrades from what came before. The Galaxy Note 8 has a smaller battery than the Note 7 (presumably so that it won't explode), Andy Rubin's high-priced Essential Phone has no waterproofing and neither it, the iPhone 8 or this year's Pixel series from Google will have a headphone jack.

With these compromises in mind I have to ask: Are we actually getting a reasonable value from this year's near-bezel-less flagships?

Nevertheless, we should be grateful for a thoughtful redditor's recent contribution to r/Android, comparing the differences between 2017's "bezel-less" smartphones so far. There are some notable omissions... Xiaomi's Mi Mix kicked off this craze last year but was never intended for the North American market, so that's fine. But the Essential Phone should definitely be here. It's also odd that the as-yet unreleased iPhone 8 is present, but the similarly-leaked Pixel 2 XL is not.

I think that the general idea here was to compare the bezels on specific phones and their forebears, specifically the Galaxy Note 8 vs. Note 7 and iPhone 8 vs. the 7 Plus. It also seems like the author is trying to decide between an LG V30 and G6. And for some reason the OnePlus 3 has been added to the comparison of bottom bezels and phone widths.

To find out what other redditors are saying see the link directly below.

Yesterday just before dinner I attended a TELUS-sponsored event showcasing Andy Rubin's Essential Phone. That Canadian carrier scored exclusive rights to sell the PH-1 in this country, and from their own listing seem to be offering it on payment plans only—$290 CAD down and $95/month or $490 down and $85/month for the duration of a two-year contract.

I always find these carrier events just a little unsavoury, as the money that bankrolls their open bars and extravagant settings comes directly from subscribers' pockets. However, this one was at least a bit more informative than most, with employees from Essential on-hand to talk about various aspects of the phone. There were three manned stations—Camera, Design and Engineering; I visited each and listened to a short presentation, then tracked down an actual phone and took some photos. Which were of course out of focus.

Anyway, here's what I learned about the Essential Phone...

The Feel

There's no questioning it, The PH-1 is a substantial device to hold in your hand, and definitely feels worthy of its $700 USD price tag. I also got to hold some of its individual components separately. The titanium frame is strong but impressively light, but when you add the ceramic back there's definitely some heft.

As for the 360° camera accessory, the magnets that hold it to the phone are strong enough that you won't have to worry about it coming unstuck.

The Cutout

I didn't realize this, but the cutout at the top of the display for the selfie cam also holds the proximity and other sensors that you'd expect along the top of a typical smartphone. That's no small feat, and Essential did a better job with this than LG, Samsung or even what's coming from Apple.

The Chin

Of course I had to ask to design guy about this... Why does the Essential Phone's screen not extend all the way to the bottom edge of the phone? It turns out that, even without a headphone jack, some space was still needed for the LCD display driver and speaker assembly.

The Bootloader

On at least one of the phones I handled the bootloader was unlocked, and I was able to confirm with its owner that the bootloader on all Essential Phones is indeed unlockable. For Android modders that's great news.

When it comes to carrier locks things are less clear. Phones ordered from Essential.com are SIM-unlocked but whether the TELUS version is any different is unknown. It's kind of academic, anyway, as it looks like the only way you'll be able to buy the phone in Canada is on TELUS through one of their payment plans and a two-year commitment.

Expect to hear more about the Essential Phone if and when TELUS give us a loaner for review.

Google has so far released two Pixel-branded Chromebooks—the original in 2013 and a refresh in 2015, pictured directly above. According to Android Police, there will be a new Chromebook Pixel announced alongside the new Pixel phones later this year. Perhaps this one will be available for purchase in Canada? Please...?

This third iteration of Google's own high-end notebook may or may not be an evolution of Project Bison, an Andromedia-powered notebook/tablet convertible with the following specs:

The existence of Project Bison was leaked to Android Police last fall; since then a new name has started popping up in the commits on Google's Chromium code review—this device, referred to as Eve, also seems to be a convertible with a Wacom digitizer. It could be the continuation of Project Bison, or something entirely new.

For what it's worth, Bison was thought to retail for $799 USD. That's significantly cheaper than the first two Chromebook Pixels, and more in line with 2015's Pixel C tablet.

This is the gimmick that Nokia is using to pitch their new flagship model 8, which was finally made official late yesterday. From the camera app you can access both the front and rear-facing camera feeds simultaneously in a 50/50 split window, like you see you above. "Bothies" can be photos, recorded video or even live video streamed to Facebook and/or YouTube.

If nothing else, it's an apt demonstration that the camera modules on either side of the phone are identical—though there's an additional monochrome sensor on the back. Die-hard Nokia fans will probably be most interested in the ZEISS logo on the rear camera assembly.

The Nokia 8 will be available for purchase on September 6th with a price tag of €599 EUR, or about $700 USD. Here's the bad news: Nokia has no immediate plans to bring their flagship to North America. Could be good news for grey market importers, though...!

Hot on the heels of yesterday's story about Snap, Inc.'s Spectacles comes this brand-new streaming camera called Front Row. It's available right now from Amazon.com (and ships to Canada) but will set you back $400 USD.

Instead of putting a camera on your face you wear this device around your neck—with the included lanyard or a necklace of your own—or by clipping it to a piece of clothing. Apparently the idea for the product came from the CEO of Ubiquiti Networks, who was at an NBA game and wanted to livestream his view without holding up his phone.

Fair enough, but why is this thing so big...?

Because on the other side of this Android-powered camera system there's a full touchscreen. And also a selfie cam. The Front Row, it seems, is like an un-ruggedized GoPro made specifically for livestreaming. Interesting idea; not sure if it's worth the high price tag, though.

A story published in yesterday's news round-up is worthy of a little more scrutiny... according to TechCrunch, sales of Snap, Inc.'s camera-equipped Spectacles are falling hard, and fast.

In their first full sales quarter fewer than 64,000 Spectacles were sold. If that doesn't sound like much here's the really bad news: Q2 was even worse, with sales of only 41,500 units—a drop of roughly 35%. Snap recently started selling Spectacles through Amazon.com and Harrod's in the UK, but I don't foresee either of these entities reversing the company's fortunes anytime soon. Amazon, if anything, will just enable easier returns.

One reason for the failure of this product has to be the obvious privacy issue; I just don't think our society is ready for people wearing cameras on their faces. It's reminiscent of my feelings about Google Glass—I was really excited about it's AR potential until I encountered someone wearing it in New York City; with the realization that I was probably being recorded I suddenly wasn't so interested anymore.

There's also the fashion angle, or in the case of Spectacles the lack thereof. Imagine if, like Android Wear, Snap put aside their single, in-house design and instead partnered with established eyewear brands like Ray-Ban or Oakley. This way, Snap users could use the technology with their own sunglass style. As an added bonus, there would be a sales channel for Snap already in place.

Or maybe Spectacles are just a bad idea altogether. What do you think?

One of the major criticisms of the OnePlus 5 (after the price) was the discovery and subsequent confirmation of its inverted display. OnePlus has never explained why they chose to mount the display panel upside-down in the phone's chassis; I suspect that it was a deliberate engineering choice to make that chassis stronger. Unfortunately for the user, however, this results in a screen that refreshes in an odd way. It's most noticeable when scrolling through long lists like entries in an app drawer or a Twitter feed, and has come to be known as the jelly effect.

It was XDA who proved that the OP5's display was upside-down, and now they're reporting that Motorola's new Z2 Force has the same issue.
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Wareable scored a nice little scoop with some exclusive renders of Project Higgs—aka the Fitbit smartwatch—which they insist is the final design for the product. I use the term "design" loosely here, because I think this thing is as ugly as hell, only slightly less hideous than Fitbit's existing Blaze.

Note that the Fitbit logo takes up a full fifth of the front face.

The back of the watch has a deliberate protrusion to better lock on to your heart rate. Wareable is speculating that the blue light at the bottom is a pulse oximeter for measuring blood oxygen levels. Whatever the case, it looks super-uncomfortable.

The strap looks like it has a proprietary connection but can at least be swapped out. That's a good thing, as Fitbit's straps have a tendency to break. A lot.

There will apparently be three available colour combinations, none of which will do anything for its looks. You'll only ever want to wear this for a night out if that night out is at the gym.

Mind you, this derision and disdain is coming from a self-professed smartwatch design snob; what do you think of Fitbit's smartwatch?

Yesterday this photo of a developer unit was leaked to GSM Arena. It's believed to be the Pixel 2—the smaller, HTC-made device (codename: "walleye") with the 4.95 inch screen, rather than the LG-made Pixel 2 XL ("taimen") with the 5.99 inch display.

With all the stickers and tape the back of the unit honestly doesn't look like much; fortunately, the anonymous leaker also supplied a photo of the front of the phone.

Sorry, make that two phones... The bad news: the massive chin and forehead of the original Pixels have been carried over, but this time around they are at least partly justified by front-facing stereo speakers, a feature last seen two generations ago on the Huawei Nexus 6P.

And now the really bad news: multiple sources, including Evan Blass, are reporting that there will be no headphone jack on either of this year's Pixel phones. Because #courage...?

If you didn't know, "AR" stands for augmented reality; the ZenFone AR is the world's second-ever production handset to support Google's Project Tango, preceded only by the gargantuan (and also underpowered) Lenovo Phab Pro 2. Apps that support Project Tango are few and far between. Current showpieces include Lowe's Vision, which lets you preview Lowe's appliances and furniture in your own home, and Hot Wheels Track Builder, where you can lay out orange tracks to your heart's content in an entirely virtual space. The ZenFone AR also supports Daydream (Google's VR), and there are many more available titles which you can use with that.

There are actually three variants of the ZenFone AR: one with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage for $599 USD ($899 CAD), another with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage for $699 USD and also a Verizon-exclusive version with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage for $649 USD.

CNET has an in-depth preview of the phone with video and a gallery of photos; for links to that along with current buying options see directly below.

Three years ago this month I road-tested my first smartwatch, the first Android Wear wearable from LG. I bought it on a whim, sight unseen, immediately after watching the webcast of the live keynote for the launch of Android Wear. On a similar whim some six months later I bought an original Pebble on clearance at my local Best Buy. I stuck with that through the launch of the Pebble Time in mid-2015, gave up for a while, came back to the superior Pebble Time Steel and remained a loyal Pebbler until the sale of assets to Fitbit last December. Then I returned to Android Wear, but only devices made by traditional watchmakers. And now, thanks to Gadgetbridge, I find myself reunited with my collection of Pebbles.

I've never owned an Apple Watch or a Fitbit, but thanks to Howard I did get to spend a weekend with an original Galaxy Gear way back in the winter of 2013. All this is only to say that I know a thing or two about the device category. So here's what I think of it, three years on.
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Photos of Samsung's Galaxy Note8 that surfaced on Facebook in mid-July have been corroborated by Evan Blass, the most trusted leaker out there. He tweeted the photo above at 3:30am Eastern Time last night, confirming that this year's iteration of Samsung's famous phablet will be its first phone with a dual camera setup. And unfortunately, like the S8 and S8 Plus, the fingerprint reader will be almost directly beside it.

Samsung's Galaxy Active line seems to be quite popular with Android users, enough so that unlocked versions of the exclusive-to-AT&T devices are readily available on Amazon and eBay. And it's pretty easy to see why: who wouldn't want a flagship smartphone with a bigger battery and more durable casing?

A ruggedized version of this year's Galaxy S8 was inevitable, and we now have an early look via a leaked training manual to Android Police. The specs:

The older version of Android may disappoint some, and here's something likely to annoy everyone: the formerly-reprogrammable "active" button will now only launch Bixby.

The Galaxy S8 Active is expected to be available in two colors, Meteor Gray and Titanium Gold (American spelling deliberate for our friends on AT&T). The price has yet to be confirmed, but the phone's launch is imminent, possibly as early as August 1st.